How healthy is your website?
Enter your address for a free check of 16 search, content, mobile and sharing basics.
The 16 things we check.
Four groups, four checks each. Every one is something a search engine or a visitor notices, and every one can be fixed.
Search
Whether search engines can find the page, understand it and show it well.
- Page title
A title of 30 to 65 characters.
It is the headline of your result in search and the label on a browser tab. Too short says little, and too long is cut off.
- Meta description
A description of 70 to 160 characters.
It is the summary under your result. It does not raise rankings directly, but a clear one earns more clicks.
- Canonical link
A canonical link is present.
It tells search engines which address is the main one when a page can be reached in more than one way.
- Allowed to be indexed
The page does not carry a noindex instruction.
A noindex instruction asks search engines to leave the page out of results. It is useful for private pages and disastrous for a live one.
- Sitemap and robots.txt
Both files are found on the site.
A sitemap lists the pages you want found, and robots.txt tells crawlers where they may go. Together they make a site easier to read.
Content
Whether the page has the structure and substance to answer a question.
- Main heading (H1)
Exactly one H1 on the page.
The main heading states what the page is about, for readers, screen readers and search engines.
- Heading structure
Two or more H2 headings.
Subheadings break a page into sections that people can skim and search engines can understand.
- Amount of text
300 or more words of text.
A page with almost no text gives search engines little to match to a question. It is a prompt to add substance, not a target to pad.
- Image descriptions (alt text)
No image is missing its alt attribute.
Alt text describes an image to people who cannot see it and to search engines. Decorative images should have empty alt text.
Mobile and speed
Whether the page works on a phone and starts quickly.
- Mobile viewport
A viewport tag set to the device width.
Without it, phones show a shrunken desktop page. Most visits now come from phones, so this is a basic.
- Server response time
The server starts answering in under 0.8 seconds.
A slow first response delays everything that follows. It is measured from the audit's own location, so treat it as a guide.
- Page source size
The page's HTML is under 300 KB.
A very large page takes longer to download and to process, especially on a mobile connection. This checks the HTML, not images.
Trust and sharing
Whether the page feels safe and looks right when it is shared.
- Secure connection (HTTPS)
The page loads over HTTPS.
Browsers warn visitors about sites that are not secure, and people leave. HTTPS is also expected by search engines.
- Social sharing preview
Both a share title and a share image are set.
They decide how your link looks when someone shares it on WhatsApp, LinkedIn or Facebook.
- Structured data
JSON-LD structured data is present.
Structured data states facts about the page, such as the business or an FAQ, in a form machines read reliably.
- Language and favicon
A language is declared and a favicon is set.
The language helps screen readers and translation, and the favicon is the small icon that makes a tab and a bookmark recognisable.
How the score works.
Every check is worth the same. The score is the points earned divided by 16, shown as a percentage out of 100.
- 80 or moreA strong foundation with a few gains left.
- 55 to 79A workable base with clear room to improve.
- Under 55Several basics are missing, and fixing them will move the needle.
1
Good
A check that passes earns a full point.
½
Improve
A check that passes only partly earns half a point.
0
Fix
A check that fails earns nothing.
What it cannot tell you.
The audit is a quick, honest first look. It is not a full audit, and it says so with every result.
It reads one page, the address you give, not the whole website.
It reads the page's HTML the way a simple crawler would, and does not run JavaScript. A page that builds its content only in the browser can look thin.
It cannot judge whether your writing is good, your offer is clear or your design suits your audience.
It cannot see rankings, traffic or backlinks. Those come from Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
Speed is the time the server takes to start answering from the audit's location, not a full page-load test.
A site that blocks automated visitors, asks for a login or is not public cannot be read.
Found something to fix?
Each group of checks has a natural home. If you would rather not fix it yourself, this is where Domeq can help, and the guides explain each fix.
More free tools are on the tools page.
Questions, answered.
What does the free website audit check?
Sixteen basics in four groups: search, content, mobile and speed, and trust and sharing. They include the page title, meta description, headings, image descriptions, mobile viewport, server response time, HTTPS and the social sharing preview. The full list is on this page.
Is the website audit really free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no email address to give and no payment. Enter an address and read the result.
How is the audit score calculated?
Each of the 16 checks is worth the same. A pass earns 1 point, a partial pass earns half a point and a fail earns none. The score is the points earned divided by 16, as a percentage.
Does a high audit score mean my site will rank well?
No. The audit checks technical and on-page basics that a site needs, not whether the content is better than competitors'. A high score means the foundations are sound, and ranking depends on much more.
Does the audit check my whole website?
It checks one page, the address you enter, plus your site's robots.txt and sitemap files. To audit other pages, run them one at a time. It is a quick look, not a full audit.
Do you save the address I check?
The audit does not store your address or results. To limit misuse, the tool keeps visitor and site addresses in memory for a few minutes to count requests. Like any web host, ours also keeps standard server logs, which can include the address in the request.
Why can the audit not read my website?
Common reasons are that the site blocks automated visitors, needs a login, is not public, redirects too many times or answered too slowly. Check the address is spelled correctly and open to the public, and try again.
What should I fix first after the audit?
Start with anything marked Fix, especially a noindex instruction, a missing title, no HTTPS or a missing mobile viewport. Then work through the items marked Improve. Each result links to the service that fixes that group.
